PCA sets separate standards for flavored VCO

The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) is creating separate quality standards for flavored virgin coconut oil (VCO).

Carlos Carpio, PCA deputy administrator for research and development said establishing different quality standards for flavored VCO is necessary to distinguish it from unflavored VCO.

"We decided to come up with a different standard for flavored VCO because of the strong clamor from the so-called purists who believe that flavored VCO cannot be considered as virgin coconut oil."

Those advocating that VCO should be unflavored said standard setting agencies should not allow manufacturers using additives to claim their products as VCO.

Carpio said, however, that a study will need to be conducted to determine if using additives changes the VCO characteristics.

VCO is defined as oil obtained from mature kernel of the coconut through mechanical or natural means, with or without the use of heat, without undergoing chemical refining, bleaching or deodorizing, and which does not lead to the alteration of the nature of the oil.

It should be suitable for consumption without the need for further processing, colorless, and with characteristic coconut flavor and aroma.

In contrast, commercial refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) coconut oil from copra, is yellow in color. Both are stable to oxidative rancidity.

As a vegetable oil, coconut oil is richest in medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), mainly lauric acid that is common to VCO. MCT is metabolized differently from long-chain triglycerides and is rapidly hydrolyzed and absorbed in the intestine and transported directly to the liver, where it is metabolized rapidly to energy and ATP or adenosine triphosphate that functions as "energy currency."

The PCA previously eased quality standards for the production of VCO that was seen by some sectors in the fledgling industry as a setback to efforts in accelerating its acceptability in the global market.